Tag Archives: Management

Thought leadership is often viewed by marketers as a platform that is focused externally. But while thought leadership is an effective means of influencing customers, it’s also a very successful way of empowering employees.

Over the last decade, various organizations have shifted their policy towards encouraging employee empowerment. Studies have shown that organizations with empowered employees perform better than their competitors by up to 202%. Empowered employees are known to be more engaged, inspired and productive in their work. They are more likely to take initiative and are expected to last longer within the company.

Though thought leadership is a great tool for spreading your brand message, it can also be used as an effective means of empowering your staff from inside your organization.

Influence is the currency of thought leadership. That’s because an effective thought leader can have a profound effect on the people they influence. As a tool for change, influence has a longer lasting effect than simply giving out orders on the office floor or through e-mail. It can refocus your company and empower your entire workforce. Here are just a few of the ways thought leadership can empower your employees:

• Thought Leadership allows employees to see the bigger picture of the organization by sharing the company’s long term goals and long standing principles.• Thought Leadership encourages employees to excel at their responsibilities, inspiring them to come up with solutions that allow them to go above and beyond their roles.• Thought Leadership provides employees incentives outside of monetary gain. They understand the larger, more intangible goals of the organization: success, satisfaction and service.• Thought Leadership allows employees to discover the importance of their roles in the organization. It allows them to see the worth in their actions and become proud of their accomplishments.

This is why thought leadership should help influence the organizational culture beyond one that is geared towards customers, but one also focused on staff and employees. The infusion of thought leadership into an organization’s culture can unite and empower the organization.

Empowerment through Influence

As mentioned earlier, influence is the currency of thought leadership. But to gain influence over your employees, it’s important to equip them with the right tools, skills, and responsibilities to make sure they perform to the best of their professional abilities.

On average, only 29% of employees are actively engaged in their work. While managers can increase salaries, improve benefits, and promote key staff, nothing takes the place of genuine leadership.

Thought leadership utilizes edu-training tools that empower your workforce by making them advocates of the organization. These internal initiatives provide insight and ideas that are of value to employees. They are activities and platforms that help inspire the staff and bring the organization together. Whether it’s through an internal social media platform, speaking, training or other forms of internal communication, these are all means of introducing a culture of empowerment into the organization.

Followers are the lifeblood of any thought leader, but followers can be found inside as well as outside of the organization. In truth, empowered employees are the most effective followers of all. They look to their leaders for more than just their next pay check. They look to them for inspiration and ideas.

About the Author: Mitchell Levy is the CEO and Thought Leader Architect at THiNKaha who has created and operated fifteen firms and partnerships since 1997. Today, he works with companies who are active in social media to leverage their IP and unlock the expertise of the employee base to drive more business. He is also an Amazon bestselling author with eighteen business books, including the recently released #Creating Thought Leaders tweet. Mr. Levy has provided strategic consulting to over 100 companies and has advised over 500 CEOs on critical business issues. Get a free copy of his latest ebook at http://mitchelllevy.com.

Every business owner wants to know the way to maximize their revenue and profitability and reduce the risks they are at. Leading companies, in the supply chain industry, have identified risks to their own supply chains and have created strong mitigation strategies to offset any negative effects.

Natural events can have a huge impact on the supply chain and this cannot always be considered when creating strategies to avoid negative effects. In the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake in 2011, there was a global part shortage – this was due to factories being destroyed. These events seriously disrupted their supply chain – leading to delays in taking products to the market. This then had a knock on effect and damaged sales and increased costs in worldwide markets.

It is not just the environment that can cause havoc with the supply chain, economic crisis, political unrest, demanding customers, technology changes, terrorism, short product lifecycles and the interest can all affect the way businesses operate across the globe.

Through utilising intelligent data from your supply chain, in combination with external market information, it is possible to advance your business’ ability to plan for the future wisely.

Inventory risk is often the biggest risk that any business can face – it is the result of a mismatch in projections and actual market demand. Maintaining excess inventory can become a liability and can hugely affect your finances. If you fail to predict an accurate probability of internal and external triggers of disruption – you will not be predicting the future correctly.

2. Procurement Risk

A procurement risk is to include unpredictable natural events which can affect the supply chain. Natural events can create shortages of materials and products and increase prices quite dramatically.

What are your financial risks? Is your capital tied up in business investments? Or do you have slow incoming capital? If so, this will be identified as a financial risk. By making yourself aware of the security of your finances – you can be sure to have a secure financial future.

The ability of the technology available today is tremendous; business owners are able to practically foresee the future of their supply chain when entering appropriate data. Further technology in the form of analytics can also be used to feed data from their existing risk management systems into analytics and dash boarding applications. Analytical information can be used to spot key trends, patterns and potential future disruptions.

Leading freight company, CC Freight, has been providing European freight services since 1925. They understand the importance of using technology to reduce supply chain risks.

In today’s Information Age, even small businesses produce large amounts of big data. Big data is defined as the raw data collected by organizations from a variety of sources and stored in disparate locations. This data is most often internal transactional data collected from all of an organization’s interactions with its customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Because active businesses continue to produce data, all businesses regardless of size eventually reach a point where they must deal directly with the challenges and potential opportunities posed by big data. Instead of letting the sheer volume and velocity of big data overwhelm an organization’s storage and database systems, smart business operators seek to get an early handle on the issue to overcome any problems and leverage the data for marketing purposes.

Most organizations inherently know that the data gathered from transactions with customers and suppliers is valuable, but they find that organizing large amounts of data for future marketing campaigns is labor intensive and costly without the right information technology tools and skilled data management professionals. However, establishing a data management strategy is an investment that brings significant dividends even for small businesses.

Organized big data collected by small businesses help them improve customer relationship management. A data management strategy helps businesses gather data related to consumer buying habits and preferences. Business professionals use this data to generate marketing strategies that target specific consumers without a business even having to contact customers directly or issue them any of those annoying surveys. For instance, many small businesses want to target their burgeoning Latino customer base, and they generally have ideas about the preferences associated with these customers. Analytical tools applied to properly collected data give small businesses accurate information about these customers which takes the guess-work out of the data analysis process. Marketing managers use this information in their Latino marketing campaigns.

Big Data Offers Big Operational Efficiency Gains

Properly managed data helps business operators gain competitive advantages through operational efficiencies. For instance, a small business that has a few store locations and a decentralized, disorganized data management scheme misses out on opportunities for increased sales, decreased costs, and greater customer satisfaction. The same small business leverages organized big data by integrating data collected from all of its stores. Operation managers use the data to direct shipments to stores that actually need the merchandise using just in time supply chain management techniques. Additionally, data analysts who detect a distinct purchasing pattern for their Latino customer base at one of their stores can recommend that inventory adjustments be made among all of the stores. The result is that merchandise moves quicker, and there are no lost sales to competitors due to inadequate inventory. Also, customers are probably happier that they do not have to wait for their favorite items to arrive at a store that they usually visit.

Big Data Strategy For Small Businesses

Because handling big data is often intimidating, small businesses should ensure that they enlist the help of a qualified data management professional who works well with the organization’s information technology staff. The elements of a small business big data strategy features a phased approach that exploits both internally and externally derived big data. The first step is to generate a data ontology for internal data integration efforts. The ontology helps effectively portray the data management domain and associated concepts for handling data of various types and sizes. Since big data becomes more valuable when analyzed with other data, the second phase of the strategy is to incorporate external data into the ontology. Some of these external data sources include social media venues and government data resources like the U.S. Census.

Conclusion

Ignoring big data challenges will not help small businesses address the inevitable problem of managing copious amounts of data. It is best for companies to invest in a data management strategy early so that data analysts can turn a data nightmare into a marketing manager’s dream come true.

In every aspect of life social skills can make or break your plans. You have to be able to handle people in a positive way if you intend on doing many of the fulfilling opportunities available in life. Whether we are talking about romance, friends, family, or even work social skills are a key component in your individual happiness as well as the happiness of those around you. By learning how to handle each of those areas socially you are essentially learning some of the key aspects to being not just successful in those individual areas but leadership as well. Consider the essential area in which leaders must shine, being likable. Your abilities can only be helped by increasing your ability to lead and throughout this article we will discuss how to improve your leadership capabilities.

Listen

Often overlooked, listening is a critical part of any good leader. Being able to stop talking to others and simply opening your ear and giving them your time creates an environment in which those under your direction feel like a part of the team. This can increase their willingness to put in extra hours, or even higher quality output for any work you may have them complete. Even those in high executive positions are still required to lend an ear to their consumers. The possibility of missing out on a golden opportunity because you were too busy concentrating on what you perceive to be the problem can be costly.

When most people think back to memories of inspirational and unforgettable people within their own lives they remember a story. The greatest leaders knew how to tell unforgettable tales that create a shared memory. This bond can easily drive and motivate people into action. Good story telling can captivate friends, engage and motivate employees, and create a sense of romance for your significant other that roses and chocolate couldn’t hope to match.

Be Honest

Honesty is an essential no brainer to me in every aspect of life. Simple matter of it is that even if you don’t want to lead a group of people honesty is expected. In that sense it’s also an essential building block for being an effective leader. By being honest and admitting flaws and mistakes you are showing that you are aware of the problems. Burying your head in the sand will discourage your employees and endanger your goals.

Transparency

Secret arrangements are bound to fail in this day and age. Everything is available online and rumors are leaked out on an almost constant basis. Engaging in secrets and private deals will only serve to hurt your chances. Establishing transparency will protect you from rumors and backtalk that could effectively undermine your ability to lead.

Getting your hands dirty in the work that you are actively telling others to do is a team playing move and a sign of a truly involved and caring leader. Show those that you are working with that you are just as equally committed to your vision as you expect them to be. Team efforts can change the world, don’t just order people around, and challenge them!

Finger on the Pulse

Great leaders keep an eye on every event they can in an effort to be fully prepared for any reaction they may need to carry out. This effort on your part as the leader will foster a culture of responsiveness as those under your guidance will begin to understand the value of keeping an eye out for any problems. It also shows that you aren’t just bossing people around and that this isn’t just about having a title of authority.

Flexibility

Life is constantly throwing out curve balls providing challenges that could sink your efforts. Be flexible with your plans and learn how to navigate each issue as its own issue. Don’t get stuck in a single mindset as it will degrade your ability to effectively lead people. The moment those around you feel that you are oblivious to the changes going on around is the moment you lost your team. No one wants to stick around for failure and neither should you.

Excitement

Leaders need to do more than simply tell others how to act. You need to motivate through means beyond being a decent human being. Surprise those that you lead with special events that truly let them see how much you actually appreciate the work they do for you. A simple tactic that is very powerful in leading others is to under promise and over deliver. Disappointment can create a negative environment that sinks other people into it. Over delivering avoids that issue by eliminating the possibility of disappointment.

The age old adage of keep it simple stupid applies to more than just first dates. Powerful leaders were able to disseminate visionary ideas in simple ways thus reaching larger audiences. Consider something as necessary as your work plans for your employees. If you give each employee a twelve page long stack of text and expect them to understand everything you present then expect to confuse them. If you make an effort to simplify the materials you provide those under with then you will be greasing the wheels so to speak. People want simplicity in design, form and function. Provide them with it and they will be grateful.

Be Thankful

Modesty is crucial in establishing and maintaining long lasting leadership. Leaders that can truly appreciate and reward those that put forth solid efforts are given full effort time and time again. Every cog in the machine is important and you don’t want to be sunk by something as easily avoidable as a disgruntled employee. Remember to thank those that help you live out your vision.

Eduardo Dieguez is a creative writer for CareerRelay.com. He is a 1st generation American born Cuban that is currently in pursuit of his AA Degree at Valencia CC. Eduardo believes one of most important questions you will ask yourself is: what career is right for me?

Your time at your university is spent preparing for the rest of your life once you graduate, and while most of this learning is done in the classroom, there is plenty that you can learn outside the classroom, as well. If you are going to school for business, there are a number of skills that you’re going to need in the business world which can be learned outside of class while you’re at university. Leadership skills and project management are two of the main skills which can be learned.

Learning Leadership Skills at University

Leadership is one of the easiest skills to develop. If you are ever given a group project, this is the perfect opportunity to step up and cement yourself as the leader of the group so that you can then delegate tasks to the other members of the group and learn those important leadership skills. In addition, you could host a study group for a big upcoming test and take the leadership role in that environment, as well. Both of these scenarios will allow you to hone your leadership skills; you can figure out how to motivate others and command them.

Learning Project Management Skills at University

University in itself is a giant project that needs to be managed. You have to balance studying, homework, class time, work, your social life and more all at once, and learning how to organize yourself to get through this alive will help you immensely once you get started in your career. In addition, you can use those project management skills in your group projects and study groups as well- any situation where you are working with multiple people, you can flex your brain and put these skills to use, so it’s good to always keep that in mind.

Other Opportunities to Hone your Skills

In addition to study groups and group projects, there are plenty of other opportunities for you to use your project management and leadership skills. Look for volunteer opportunities and ask your boss at your current job if there is any additional responsibility that you can take on for an opportunity to work on your skills. There are opportunities almost everywhere you look, the key is to know how to make them work and how to apply your leadership and project management skills so that they are developed in the best way possible.

Start Developing your Skills Today

As you’ve seen, there is definitely plenty of opportunity to build your leadership and project management skills while you’re at university. You can rest assured that this will help make you a better candidate once you start applying for jobs, and it also gives you some great answers to interview questions when you’re asked how you have shown competency in these areas in the past. Overall, just remember to look at everything as an opportunity to better yourself in some way, and you should have no problem coming out of college with a lot more than just a degree.

To say this year has seen some scandals in the global supply chain would be a huge understatement. The horsemeat scandal has continued to dominate the headlines for the best part of three months now, and with the Asian market recently discovering rat meat being sold as lamb, this is clearly not something which is just going to blow over. The question is not only how long has this kind of fraudulent activity been going on, and what is going to be done about it?

Pressure is Building

Without knowing exactly how long this has been going on, and I think it is safe to say we are unlikely to never know the true scale of these scandals, it is impossible to say what the cause is. However, if this decision to substitute meats for cheaper alternatives without informing the consumer is a reaction to the current state of the economy across Europe, then there is at least some sense behind these crazy happenings.

Somewhere, decisions have been made to try and maintain the dwindling profit margins of companies and reducing their overheads by using cheaper meat products enables this. However, clearly this is at the expense of the consumer who is left paying over the odds for beef and lamb when they are actually buying lower quality and much cheaper produce.

Similar scandals have not been found to such a degree outside of the global food market supply chain, but what is clear is the pressure which is being put on companies which trade within it, and this pressure is likely to be felt across all supply chains worldwide as profit margins grow tighter and consumer demand continues to rise. The issue is, will consumer demand continue to stay as high as it is, especially when buying online, if there are questions asked about the confidence they can have in businesses if even going to their local supermarket for something as simple as meat can come back to bite them?

Trust Must be Restored in Supply Chains

It is all well and good saying restoring consumer trust must be the first port of call in moving onwards, but how exactly can this be managed? The first step must be for businesses that have been caught up in these issues to hold up their hands and admit they have made mistakes and are looking to put steps in place to make sure it does not happen again.

From there, the obvious step seems to be to put into place a series of rigorous tests on produce which is being traded throughout the supply chain, both before they leave the factory in which they are made, and once again when the retailer takes stock of the goods before selling them on to consumers. That way, if any issues are flagged up, there will be accountability, which in turn results in consumer trust being restored.

This can also be helped by firms using trustworthy companies to ship their goods across the globe; ones who they know will not compromise the quality of their products during what can be a very testing process, shipping produce across the globe under tight deadlines. Espace Global Freight is such a company, offering three kinds of top quality international freight; namely road, sea and air freight services.

By combining accountability, stringent testing of products and trustworthy companies handling the goods which are being traded within the supply chain, consumers can once again sleep well, knowing they are buying exactly what they expect when they next go to the supermarket for some meat.

Steven Capocci is a freelance writer who has studied supply chain mechanics in-depth and realises using trustworthy companies such as Espace Global Freight guarantees quality.

“Plenty,” says Kathleen Brush, a 25-year veteran of international business and author of “The Power of One: You’re the Boss,” (www.kathleenbrush.com), a guide to developing the skills necessary to become an effective, respected leader.

“When looking at the corporations reporting lower-than-expected earnings, you need to read between the lines. They are not going to admit that the reason is a failure of leadership, but 99 times out of 100 that’s what it is.”

She cites Oracle, the business hardware and software giant, which recently reported a quarterly revenue shortfall based on a decline in new software licenses and cloud subscriptions.

The company is “not at all pleased with our revenue growth this quarter,” Oracle co-president Safra Catz told analysts. “What we really saw was a lack of urgency that we sometimes see in the sales force …”

They are pointing the finger at the employees, but they are really admitting a failure of leadership, Brush says.

“Do you know how simple it is for managers to motivate sales people? If indeed the lack of sales urgency is the problem. There are dozens of bad leader behaviors that can cause sales to decline,” she explains.

In her work for companies around the country, from restructuring operations to improving profitability, Brush says she sees an epidemic of bad leader behaviors.

“When I point them out, most leaders downplay, or refuse to acknowledge, the impact their behaviors are having on their bottom line. But, in companies where leaders change these behaviors, employees become engaged and motivated. It is really that simple to increase productivity, innovation, and the bottom line,” she says.

“If you’re a boss examining your own lower-than-expected performance, instead of wasting time searching for scapegoats, look in the mirror. Most bosses unwittingly exhibit bad leader behaviors daily that cause their businesses to suffer.”

Here are four increasingly prevalent and damaging behaviors:

• The unethical boss: This is a category that doesn’t just annoy employees, it appalls them. As such, it’s a powerful demotivater. When a boss breaks or fudges the rules, cheats, lies or indulges in behaviors that reveal a lack of moral principles, he or she loses employees’ respect. Without their respect, a boss cannot lead. In addition, when a leader indulges in unethical practices, he gives his employees permission to do the same. Padding mileage reports, splurging on business travel expenses, failing to take responsibility for mistakes – they all become endorsed activities by the boss – the role model.

• The unfair boss: Our current societal efforts to treat people equally – think gay marriage, health care reform, the children of undocumented immigrants – have led to confusion among some leaders about “equality” versus “fairness” in the workplace. “I talked to a manager who gave all his employees the same pay raise because ‘he wanted to be fair,’ ” Brush recalls. He then seemed mystified that the productivity of his best employees declined to that of an average worker. “Rewards can be powerful tools of motivation, but they must be administered fairly.”

• The buddy boss: Bosses can never be buddies with their employees. Ever. Friendships neutralize the boss’s authority and power. They can also cloud a leader’s objectivity and hinder her ability to correct behaviors, to delegate, and to hold employees accountable. When friendships compromise output, it’s the boss who will be accountable. “Be friendly to employees, but do not cross the line that muddies the relationship between boss and friend. It could cost you your job.” Brush says.

• The disorganized boss: Workplaces are filled with employees who lack direction because disorganized leaders don’t deliver and manage plans and strategies to guide their teams. What’s the chance of an unguided team maximizing its productivity to create competitively superior innovative widgets? “What’s the chance of employees being inspired by a leader who leads like a doormat or by random thoughts?” says Brush.

“As a manager, you wield a tremendous amount of power,” she says. “You can be an incredibly negative power or a positive one who’s looked up to by both peers and employees.”

“For the latter, bosses have to purge the bad behaviors.”

About Kathleen Brush

Kathleen Brush has more than two decades of experience as a senior executive with global business responsibilities. She has a Ph.D. in management and international studies. Brush has been teaching, writing and consulting on international business and leadership for companies of all sizes, public and private, foreign and domestic.

What can business leaders and managers learn from watching the earnings of publicly traded companies?

“Plenty,” says Kathleen Brush, a 25-year veteran of international business and author of “The Power of One: You’re the Boss,” (www.kathleenbrush.com), a guide to developing the skills necessary to become an effective, respected leader.

“When looking at the corporations reporting lower-than-expected earnings, you need to read between the lines. They are not going to admit that the reason is a failure of leadership, but 99 times out of 100 that’s what it is.”

She cites Oracle, the business hardware and software giant, which recently reported a quarterly revenue shortfall based on a decline in new software licenses and cloud subscriptions.

The company is “not at all pleased with our revenue growth this quarter,” Oracle co-president Safra Catz told analysts. “What we really saw was a lack of urgency that we sometimes see in the sales force …”

They are pointing the finger at the employees, but they are really admitting a failure of leadership, Brush says.

“Do you know how simple it is for managers to motivate sales people? If indeed the lack of sales urgency is the problem. There are dozens of bad leader behaviors that can cause sales to decline,” she explains.

In her work for companies around the country, from restructuring operations to improving profitability, Brush says she sees an epidemic of bad leader behaviors.

“When I point them out, most leaders downplay, or refuse to acknowledge, the impact their behaviors are having on their bottom line. But, in companies where leaders change these behaviors, employees become engaged and motivated. It is really that simple to increase productivity, innovation, and the bottom line,” she says.

“If you’re a boss examining your own lower-than-expected performance, instead of wasting time searching for scapegoats, look in the mirror. Most bosses unwittingly exhibit bad leader behaviors daily that cause their businesses to suffer.”

Here are four increasingly prevalent and damaging behaviors:

• The unethical boss: This is a category that doesn’t just annoy employees, it appalls them. As such, it’s a powerful demotivater. When a boss breaks or fudges the rules, cheats, lies or indulges in behaviors that reveal a lack of moral principles, he or she loses employees’ respect. Without their respect, a boss cannot lead. In addition, when a leader indulges in unethical practices, he gives his employees permission to do the same. Padding mileage reports, splurging on business travel expenses, failing to take responsibility for mistakes – they all become endorsed activities by the boss – the role model.

• The unfair boss: Our current societal efforts to treat people equally – think gay marriage, health care reform, the children of undocumented immigrants – have led to confusion among some leaders about “equality” versus “fairness” in the workplace. “I talked to a manager who gave all his employees the same pay raise because ‘he wanted to be fair,’ ” Brush recalls. He then seemed mystified that the productivity of his best employees declined to that of an average worker. “Rewards can be powerful tools of motivation, but they must be administered fairly.”

• The buddy boss: Bosses can never be buddies with their employees. Ever. Friendships neutralize the boss’s authority and power. They can also cloud a leader’s objectivity and hinder her ability to correct behaviors, to delegate, and to hold employees accountable. When friendships compromise output, it’s the boss who will be accountable. “Be friendly to employees, but do not cross the line that muddies the relationship between boss and friend. It could cost you your job.” Brush says.

• The disorganized boss: Workplaces are filled with employees who lack direction because disorganized leaders don’t deliver and manage plans and strategies to guide their teams. What’s the chance of an unguided team maximizing its productivity to create competitively superior innovative widgets? “What’s the chance of employees being inspired by a leader who leads like a doormat or by random thoughts?” says Brush.

“As a manager, you wield a tremendous amount of power,” she says. “You can be an incredibly negative power or a positive one who’s looked up to by both peers and employees.”

“For the latter, bosses have to purge the bad behaviors.”

About Kathleen Brush

Kathleen Brush has more than two decades of experience as a senior executive with global business responsibilities. She has a Ph.D. in management and international studies. Brush has been teaching, writing and consulting on international business and leadership for companies of all sizes, public and private, foreign and domestic.

by Kurt Badenhausen – The college football bowl season kicks off this week with a slate of six games on Saturday. Twenty-fifth-ranked Boise State is the only school ranked in the top 25 in action during the first day of games with most of the bigger names taking the field in two weeks. There […]

By Rob Urban – Futures on the world’s most popular cryptocurrency surged as much as 26 percent in their debut session on Cboe Global Markets Inc.’s exchange, triggering two temporary trading halts designed to calm the market. Initial volume exceeded dealers’ expectations, while traffic on Cboe’s website was so heavy that it caused delays and […]

Bitcoin price prediction is just the start. 2017 has been a breakout year for crypto — with Bitcoin surpassing $10,000 and more than $3.8 billion raised this year in ICOs. We’ve seen truly mind-bending appreciation (like Ethereum’s 50X gains YTD) and witnessed the beginnings of countless new projects. In all the funding frenzy, we’ve […]

by Oliver McAteer – Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, center, arrives at court (Picture: AP) Donald Trump‘s former national security adviser is reportedly prepared to testify against the president. Michael Flynn may throw Trump under the bus by telling the court he was instructed by him to contact Russians. He has already admitted […] […]

by Stephen Ulrich – a father of two girls We have come far as a society since the days when jokes about grabbing pussy could be dismissed as locker room banter, therefore excusable “among the guys.” It was more than slightly ironic that Billy Bush lost his job on Today, yet the person he was […]